South Carolina title and registration, step by step

Which forms, which fees and which deadlines. For a car bought in the state and for one you bring from another.

In South Carolina the title is issued by South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles (SCDMV). In a private sale the seller signs the title over to you and writes the price and mileage on the back. Lenders can use SCDMV's Electronic Lien and Title (ELT) system.

Where it happens. At an SCDMV branch office or by mail to SCDMV Titles and Registration, PO Box 1498, Blythewood, SC 29016-0024. To register the car, you first pay the vehicle property tax in your county (county auditor and treasurer) and bring the paid receipt to SCDMV. Confirm the deadline and the event that starts it for your transaction: a purchase, receipt of the signed title or a move into the state can have different rules. Late-fee information in the state sources: $10–$75 (registro tardío / late registration).

Case 1: you bought a car in South Carolina (private seller)

What the seller hands you

• The title with the transfer section completed: your name and address, sale price, date, odometer reading and the seller's signature (both owners if two names are joined by "and").
• If there was a loan: a lien release from the bank, or the lien already removed from the title.
• A bill of sale with VIN, price and signatures. You need it for the sales tax.

What you bring to the office

• The state forms (below), completed.
• The signed title and the bill of sale.
• Applicable insurance or financial-responsibility documents: Minimum liability 25/50/25 ($25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident for injuries, $25,000 property damage), plus mandatory uninsured motorist coverage. The policy must come from a company licensed in the state; if the system cannot confirm your insurance, your registration can be suspended.
• Valid photo ID.
• Payment: title, registration, plate and sales tax if not paid yet.

Case 2: you bring a car from another state

• Everything above, plus: The reviewed SCDMV title checklist does not list a separate physical VIN inspection; that does not establish an exemption. Ask SCDMV whether your out-of-state title or vehicle history requires additional inspection or documents. You also provide the VIN to the county auditor for the property-tax bill.
• The original out-of-state title (or the bank's letter if it holds it for the loan).
• Tax: South Carolina does not charge sales tax when you buy a car: it charges the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF), 5% up to $500, and the law exempts that sale from state and local sales and use tax (§ 12-36-2120(83)). At a dealer the IMF is figured on the sale price and the dealer collects it (§ 56-3-627(B)). In a private sale you pay it to SCDMV when titling and it is figured on fair market value, which the law defines as the total purchase price less any trade-in or the value in a national used-price guide less any trade-in (§ 56-3-627(C)): you can owe more than you paid if you bought below guide. No IMF is due when the car comes from your immediate family (spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren), from an estate, or when sales or use tax was already paid on that transaction (§ 56-3-627(C)(2)). If you move from another state with a car already titled or registered in your name, you pay $250 once; it does not apply if you are on active duty in the Armed Forces, or to your spouse or dependents (§ 56-3-627(D)). Separately, you pay vehicle property tax to your county every year.

Forms

• SCDMV Form 400 — Title Application
• SCDMV Form 416 — Notice of Vehicle Sold (seller)
• SCDMV Form 60-A — Application to Issue or Replace 60 Day Temporary Plates
• SCDMV Form TI-006C — Statement of Vehicle Operation in South Carolina (if you have no SC license or ID)
• SCDMV Form 400-S — Application for Salvage/Branded Certificate of Title

Fees — confirm current amounts (SCDMV)

Amounts come from the linked state sources and can change. This guide distinguishes source checkpoints from narrow claim reviews; confirm the total for your transaction before you go. A dash means an amount has not been confirmed here.

Sales tax

South Carolina does not charge sales tax when you buy a car: it charges the Infrastructure Maintenance Fee (IMF), 5% up to $500, and the law exempts that sale from state and local sales and use tax (§ 12-36-2120(83)). At a dealer the IMF is figured on the sale price and the dealer collects it (§ 56-3-627(B)). In a private sale you pay it to SCDMV when titling and it is figured on fair market value, which the law defines as the total purchase price less any trade-in or the value in a national used-price guide less any trade-in (§ 56-3-627(C)): you can owe more than you paid if you bought below guide. No IMF is due when the car comes from your immediate family (spouse, parents, children, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren), from an estate, or when sales or use tax was already paid on that transaction (§ 56-3-627(C)(2)). If you move from another state with a car already titled or registered in your name, you pay $250 once; it does not apply if you are on active duty in the Armed Forces, or to your spouse or dependents (§ 56-3-627(D)). Separately, you pay vehicle property tax to your county every year.

If you sell: protect yourself

Listed seller-notice or transfer document: SCDMV Form 416 (Notice of Vehicle Sold). Check its conditions and the state process below. The plate stays with the seller: within 30 days of the sale the seller must move it to another vehicle of the same general type (a $10 fee, § 56-3-1290) or return it to SCDMV with the registration card (§ 56-3-1260); SCDMV only takes back active plates. The seller must also notify SCDMV in writing immediately, on Form 416, at a branch or by mail. The buyer gets a temporary plate at an SCDMV branch with Form 60-A, or at their county auditor's office, for $10 total (§ 56-3-210(I)), and must register the car within 45 days of the purchase. Careful: since October 6, 2026 the temporary plate is good for up to 60 days (§ 56-3-210(L)), but the deadline to register is still 45 days (§ 56-3-212) and the penalty starts at $10 on day 46 and reaches $75. Keep copies of the title, filed notices and handover date to answer later registration, toll or ownership questions.

Mistakes that cost

• Missing the deadline. Check the deadline and consequence for your transaction; filing periods and penalties do not all start from the same event.
• Title with cross-outs or correction fluid. Ask the issuing agency which correction or replacement document it accepts before using it.
• Buying with an "open" title (signed by a previous owner, not the person selling to you). Confirm the ownership chain and the documents the agency requires before paying.
• Showing up without in-state insurance. Confirm the insurance or financial-responsibility documents required for your situation.